The present invention relates to apparatuses and methods for processing information and recording media therefore, and more particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for processing information and a recording medium therefor, which are suitably applicable to an apparatus which provides space owned or occupied by a user in a virtual reality world and which is used to perform various processes in the space.
The Internet has recently become widely used. One service referred to as chat has also become popular. The chat may take the form of a service displaying text data on computers of two users. Another example includes moving an “avatar”(i.e., a graphical representation of a user in virtual space) and enabling the user's avatar to chat (exchange text data) with other users (avatars) encountered in that virtual space or communicate with other users using certain behaviors.
Yet another example includes a service enabling a number of users to chat with one another at the same time. Various forms of services are provided.
A chat which enables users to chat with one another by moving the users' avatars in the virtual space is only performed in a common virtual space. In other words, the virtual space can only exist as space which is shared by users and in which the users chat with one another or communicate with one another using avatars' behaviors while detecting the positional relationships among the users in the space.
In the virtual space, space which is owned or managed by a user may be provided. In such a case, other users who have no ownership can freely enter the owned space. Some users behave in the owned space in an undesirable manner as judged by the user who owns the space. However, these undesirable users cannot be eliminated.
Also, a user can register a favorite place in virtual space. The registered place only belongs to that user and cannot be brought into other user's knowledge. In general, a user registers places with usable facilities and places with beautiful scenery in the virtual space. However, other users cannot be notified of information relating to such meaningful places.